Curator Court Spencer caught up with Fiona Grady whilst she was in Leeds to find out more about her practice, what she's working on and her plans for the future. They discussed growing up in Leeds, her university experience, journey to becoming an artist, and her recent DYCP project.
Excerpt from the interview:
Court: You work across a range of mediums including screen prints, vinyl installations and more recently stained glass. How do the qualities of each medium impact the way you work and why was stained glass something you were keen to incorporate into your work?
Fiona: My work is always led by the idea or opportunity. I love printmaking, particularly screenprinting as it is very immediate. It's a great way for me to explore new colour palettes and test motifs. I often go to the print studio to 'draw'. The compositions I make tend to find their way into my installations. The vinyl installations connect well with the print processes; as I layer the colours in each medium. I love working on a large scale and creating work that will fill a space - it's also a medium that offers a lot of variations. The stained glass is the most recent addition to my practice. I'm keen to translate the magic of my vinyl installations into glass - the process is much slower but it's exciting to challenge myself.